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Wave Rider

Wave Rider

by Harrison Owen
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Release Date: October 2008
ISBN: 9781576759875
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Book Description

What began forty years ago as a journey of exploration into the interplay between chaos, order, and the creative process culminates in this capstone work of Harrison Owen's pioneering career. From the creator of Open Space Technology (OST), Wave Rider shows how to apply the fundamental principles of OST to the day-to-day management and leadership of organizations. Owen lays out eight concrete steps for aligning ourselves with the driving power behind OST's immense success: the primal force of self-organization. We can't control it, but we can work with it—we can ride the wave.

Table of Contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Preface
  5. Introduction Wave Rider
    1. Needed: More Wave Riders
    2. Secret of the Wave Rider
    3. Invitation to an Experiment
    4. Preview of Coming Attractions
  6. PART I Preparation for Wave Riding
    1. Chapter I The Holy Grail: Superior Performance
      1. The Behavioral Characteristics of High Performing Systems according to Peter Vaill
    2. Chapter II High Performance Systems Defined
      1. High Performance Defined as the Absence of Its Opposites
      2. Chaos
      3. Confusion
      4. Conflict
      5. Ending and Death
      6. Toward an Understanding of High Performance
      7. A Definition of High Performance
    3. Chapter III Getting from Here to There
      1. Unintended Consequences
      2. The Closed System Hoax
      3. The Whole Systems Approach
      4. The “Worse”——Every System Has a Context
      5. The Final Straw——Everything Is Moving!
      6. We Need Some Help
    4. Chapter IV The Anomalies
      1. Breaking Through at Dupont
      2. A Hopeful Tale
      3. High Performing Systems in Our Midst
    5. Chapter V The Open Space Experiment
      1. The Cure for Boredom and the Beginning of the Grand Experiment
      2. The Experimental Conditions
      3. The Procedure
      4. Experimental Results
      5. The Hypothesis——First Take
      6. Open Space as Self-Organization
      7. Open Space, Self-Organization, and High Performance
      8. The Hypothesis——Second Take
    6. Chapter VI Self-Organization: The Key to High Performance Systems?
      1. Lucy and the Informal Organization
      2. What Good Is the Informal Organization?
      3. Working to Rule
      4. The Nature and Function of the Formal System
      5. Formal Leadership
      6. Organizational Maps as Points of Reference
      7. Self-Organization in Really Big Systems
      8. Proof or Probability?
    7. Chapter VII How Do We Deal with the Pain?
      1. The Griefwork Process
      2. The Griefwork Cycle Considered
    8. Chapter VIII A Spanner in the Works
      1. The Spanner in the Works: The Need for Control
      2. Extrication
  7. PART II The Wave Rider’s Guide to the Future
    1. Chapter IX Becoming a Wave Rider: The Care and Feeding of Self-Organizing Systems
      1. Starting Point: A Mind-Shift
      2. Three Caveats to Help You on Your Way
      3. For High Performance——Open Space!
      4. Eight Essential Steps for the Care and Feeding of Self-Organizing Systems
    2. Chapter X Step 1 Do Your Homework Before You Start
    3. Chapter XI Step 2 Extend an Invitation
      1. Who Should Be Invited?
    4. Chapter XII Step 3 Come to the Circle
    5. Chapter XIII Step 4 Welcome Passion, Responsibility, and Authentic Leadership
      1. Authentic Leadership
    6. Chapter XIV Step 5 Remember the Four Principles
      1. Whoever Comes Are the Right People
      2. Whatever Happens Is the Only Thing That Could Have
      3. Whenever It Starts Is the Right Time
      4. When It’s Over It’s Over
    7. Chapter XV Step 6 Observe the Law of Two Feet
    8. Chapter XVI Step 7 Keep Grief Working
    9. Chapter XVII Step 8 Formalize the System
      1. Required Organization
      2. Communication, Silos, and Circles
      3. The Formal Leadership
      4. Compensation
    10. Chapter XVIII A Day in the Life of …
      1. Dee Hock: Wave Rider
  8. Conclusion
  9. Index
  10. About the Author